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NOVASHRMNewsletter

NOVASHRMPULSEDECEMBER2014
Welltheweatheroutsidemaynotbefrightfulyet,butithasdefinitelybeenachillywinterin
theNorthernVirginiaarea!

IthasbeensuchasuccessfulyearfortheNorthernVirginiaSocietyforHumanResource
Management(NOVASHRM)Chapter.Arecapofwhatwasaccomplishedin2014includesthe
following:
ThepresenceoftheSHRMFoundationwasbroughttotheforefrontformanyofour
members,whocontributedover$2Kintotal;
OurSpecialInterestGroup(SIGs)attendancerecordsincreasedby20%overthepast12months;
WeaddedanothereducationalaffiliatetoourlistthisyearVirginiaTech'sMBAProgram,locatedinthe
Ballstonarea;
HostingourfirstMarchMadness,SummerIceCreamSocialandMembershipSummerpromotionwere
incrediblewaystoengageandconnectwithourcurrentmembersaswellasatlargemembers;
TwosuccessfulMembersinTransition(MITs)events,servingthepopulationofourChapterwhoarein
betweenroleswerewellattendedandthenumberofMITsisdecreasing;
Our1stAnnualJointChapterCareerFair(HiReExpo)forHRandAdministrativeprofessionalshad16
employersandapprox.175+attendees.Weareplanningour2ndAnnualFairforthespringseasonof
2015;
Weareinthefinalstagesoflaunchingournewwebsite,whichshouldbegoingliveinearlyJanuary2015;
NOVASHRMcelebratedits35thanniversarythisyearattheArtisphereGalleryinArlington.Past
Presidents',membersandfamilyreminiscedthelastthreeandhalfdecadesofthisincredibleChapter's
achievements!
Aswecloseoutanotheryear,donotforgettotakethisopportunitytorenewyourMembershipbeforeit
expires.Renewingtakesonlyafewminutes,sodoitsoonRenewYourMembershipNOW!

IthasbeenanhonortoserveasthePresidentforthislocalChapterin2014!Ihavebeenstretchedin
professionalwaysthathavehelpedmegrow,challengedtoseethingsinadifferentlightinordertobenefitthe
effortsofNOVASHRMandoverallfoundcreativewaystobuildacultureontheBoardwhereweallseekto
knowoneanother'sprofessionalandpersonalgoals.

Withthenewyearjustweeksaway,onbehalfoftheNOVASHRMChapter,wewanttowishyouandyour
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familiesawonderfulholidayseasonandaHappy2015!

AllthebestintheNewYear...

SharifaGomez,PHR,CHRP
2014NOVASHRMPresident

UpcomingChapterEvents
January27
UsingOrganizationalConflicttoYourAdvantage
Speaker:CliffKayser
Location:McLean,VA
Time:5:30pm

March31
MarchChapterMeeting
Location:McLean,VA
Time:7:30am

LegislativeAlert
TheLegislativeAlertisbroughttoyoubyLarryPostol,VPofLegislativeAffairs,NOVASHRM,and
PartneratSeyfarthShaw,LLP.

IfMarijuanaisLegalWhereIWork,ICan'tBeFiredforOffDutyUse,Right?
Wrong!

Moreandmorecitiesandstatesarelegalizingtheuseofmarijuanaformedicaland
recreationaluse,includingtheDistrictofColumbia.Thegoodnewsisthatmeansinthose
jurisdictionsthelocalandstatepolicewillnotarrestyouifyouruseconformstothelocal/statelawmedicaluse
statesrequireaprescriptionandrecreationaluselawsusuallylimittheamountofmarijuanaonecanpossess.
Inaddition,federalprosecutors,atleastunderthecurrentadministration,willnotprosecuteyouforusewhich
islegalunderstateandlocallaws.

Nowthebadnews.Marijuanauseisstillillegalunderfederallaw,21U.S.C.801etseq.,sinceitislistedasa
schedule1controlledsubstance.ThatmeansitsuseisnotprotectedbytheAmericansWithDisabilitiesAct,42
U.S.C.12101etseq.,("ADA")becausetheADAdoesnotprotectthecurrentuseofanillegaldrug.Moreover,
mostemployeesareatwillemployees,sotheycanbefiredforgoodcause,badcause,ornocause.Thus,ifan
employerwantstofireemployeeswhousemarijuanaawayfromwork,itislikelythattheemployercanlegally
doso.

Thatsaid,timeoftenprovesthatthelawisnotalwaysasclearasitseems,andcourtscanapplyunexpected
interpretationstostatutes.Mostlawyersknownevertosaynever.Soemployersmaybecautiousatthe
beginningofthisnewstageinthehistoryofmarijuanauseandthelaw.Wehavecomealongwayfromthe
dayswhenmarijuanauseresultedin25yearprisonsentence,tonowitsuseisactuallylegalundersomelocal
andstatelaws.Wherethefuturewilltakeuseremainstobeseen.

ReadMoreHere
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NowRecruitingParticipantsforthe2015MentoringProgram!
EmbraceAmbition!
NowRecruitingParticipantsfor2015SHRMMentoring&LeadershipDevelopmentProgram!
Downloadtheapplication
Sharpenyourprofessionaledge
Enhanceyourleadershippresence
Maximizelearningopportunities
We'renowrecruitingfortheWashington,DCmetroarea'spremiermentoringandleadershipdevelopment
programforHRprofessionals!Whetheryou'restillintheformativeyearsofyourcareerorfairlyaccomplished,
theNOVASHRMandDullesSHRMMentoring&LeadershipDevelopmentProgramcanhelpyoutodistinguish
yourselfprofessionallyandspeedyourprogresstowardsmeetingyourpersonaldevelopmentgoals.Pleasevisit
www.novashrm.orgorwww.dullesshrm.orgformoreinformationandtodownloadanapplication.
ApplicationsaredueonorbeforemidnightonJanuary31,2015.

Mentoringismoreimportantthanever,andtheabilitytochangeandgrowinyourcareerisanincreasingly
criticalskilltohave.OurPinnacleawardwinningmentoringprogramcanhelpyouto:
Expandyourprofessionalnetwork,
Learnpeergroupmentoringskills,
BuildHRandbusinesscompetencies,
Enhanceyourleadershippresence,
Overcomecareerobstacles,and
Earncreditstowardsrecertification!
Wewillsponsorapproximately14chaptermemberstoparticipateintheprogram,whichintegratesmultiple
typesofmentoringtechniques,leadershipdevelopment,andpeerlearningnetworks.Overthecourseofthe
last16years,participationinourprogramhasconsistentlyresultedinenhancedpeernetworkingfor100
percentofalumniaswellaslateralandverticalcareermovesforover75percentofalumni.

GroupmentoringmeetingsareheldthesecondWednesdayofeachmonthfrom6:00p.m.to8:30p.m.inthe
Tyson'sCornerarea.YoumustbeamemberingoodstandingwithNOVASHRMorDullesSHRMtoparticipate.

Ifyou'recuriousaboutthisinnovativeprogram,pleaseparticipateinoneoftheinformationsessions,heldin
January,atoneofthelocalSHRMchaptermeetings.OrcontactMaryKitson,ProgramDirector,at
mkitson@mitre.orgorshrm.mentoring@gmail.comformoreinformation.

HRLibrary&ImportantNews
Experts:PersonalDataNotSecureonHealthInsuranceExchanges

HackerscouldgainaccesstothepersonaldataofAmericanswhousethefederalandstatehealth
insuranceexchanges,accordingtotwogovernmentreportsandexpertsonelectronicdatasecurity.

Theexchanges,createdunderthefederalAffordableCareAct(ACA),areworkingtoimprovethe
protectionofpersonaldataprovidedbyindividualsastheyapplyforinsurancecoverage,according
tothereportsandexperts.However,muchremainstobedone,andsomeexpertssaythatthe
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exchangesmightneverbecompletelyimpervioustoattacks.

"Onehundredpercentsecurityisimpossible,"saidKennethK.Dort,apartnerinlawfirmDrinker
Biddle'sIntellectualPropertyPracticeGroupinChicago."Thenameofthegameisrisk
minimization."

TherehasalreadybeenonereportedbreachofthefederalHealthcare.govwebsite.OnSept.4,
2014,theCentersforMedicare&MedicaidServices(CMS),whichrunstheexchange,saidthata
hackerorhackersuploadedmalwareonaserverthatsupportstheexchangewebsitebutdoesnot
containusers'personalinformation.

Somestatesoperatetheirowninsuranceexchanges;othersallowthefederalgovernmenttorun
theirs.Allexchangesthatreceivefederalfundsareboundtostringentdatasecurityrules.However,
complianceremainsamassivechallenge.

ReadMoreHere
WhenWorkersWon'tRetire,WorkforceChallengesArise

Organizationscanfaceunintendedconsequenceswhenretirementeligibleemployeesremainin
placebecausetheirtotalrewardspackagescontainsincentivesnottoretire.

"If4percentofyourpopulationisretirementeligibleandhalfofthosepeoplechoosetodelay
retirement,theeffectcouldbethat10percentofyouremployeesexperiencepromotionblockage,"
saidArthurLNoonan,aseniorpartnerandactuaryatMercer."Thismeans1,000employeeswould
experiencepromotiondelaysina10,000employeefirm."

NoonanspokeattheEmployeeBenefitResearchInstitute'swinterpolicyforum,heldrecentlyin
Washington,D.C.

Decisionsaboutbenefitsdesigntypicallyaremadearoundfinancialmetricssuchasthecostfor
employers.Thatcouldbeshortsighted,saidNoonan,because"attheendoftheday,itislabor
productivitythatdrivestruelaborcosts."

Whenpeopledon'tadvancethroughtheranksbecauseolderworkersarestayingput,theybecome
frustrated.Anddespitemanypredictionsofboomersretiringathighratesanddrainingtalentand
expertisefromtheirorganizations,inmanycasestheyseemlockeddown,asifproclaiming,"We
won'tgo."

Theresultinglow"velocity"oftalentmovementcanhavenegativeconsequencesespeciallyfor
businesseswhosestrategycallsforattractingandpromotingnewtalent.Intheseinstance,"a
businessthatprovidesincentivesforretirementeligibleemployeestoleavewouldoutperformone
whoseincentivesaredisconnectedfromtenure,"saidNoonan.

Tobesure,therecanbenegativeconsequenceswhenemployeesdoretireinlargenumbers.The
wellknowndownsidesofhavinganolderworkingpopulationincludegreaterlaborcosts(dueto
highercompensationandincreasedhealthanddisabilityclaims).Butontheplusside,olderworkers
maybemoreproductivethanlessexperiencednewhires.Howthepositivesandnegativesweigh
againsteachotherwilldifferfromcompanytocompanyandfromindustrytoindustry.Asaresult,
theoptimalworkforcemanagementandtotalrewardsstrategieswilldifferamongorganizations.
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ReadMoreHere

HRJobs
HRRecruiter,Bethesda,MD,December16
HumanResourcesSeniorAssociate,McLean,VA,December15
HRCoordinator,Washington,DC,December15
SeniorHRSpecialist,Dulles,VA,December9
HumanResourcesGeneralist,Arlington,VA,December9
HumanResourcesAssistant,Arlington,VA,December1
OfficeAdministrator,Washington,DC,November24
HumanResourcesCoordinator,Washington,DC,November24
HumanResourcesGeneralist&BusinessPartner,Fairfax,VA,November20

ClickheretogototheNOVASHRMJobPage

SHRMStudentFocus

Goingintothenewyear,NOVASHRMisveryexcitedaboutournewcharge,"SHRMStudentFocus."Thisyear,NOVA
makingourstudentmemberexperienceanexceptionalone.Fostering,developing,andmaintainingengagedStuden
andleadersisatoppriorityforus.StudentsROCK!

Toaccomplishourgoal,wehavedecidedtouseanAffinityCommunitystructure.AnAffinityCommunityenablesand
amongstudents,alumni,academiciansandHRprofessionalsbaseduponsharedinterests,commongoals,experience
communitywillbeinclusive,compassingavarietyofdegreeprogramsandreflectremarkablediversity.NOVASHRM
reconnectingwithuniversitiesthroughouttheDMVareasuchasGeorgeMasonUniversity,GeorgeWashingtonUniv
University,MarymountUniversity,VirginiaTechandNorthernVirginiaCommunityCollegeandmanymore.

AsseasonedHRprofessionals,weunderstandtheimportanceof"connection"toprofessionalsuccess.Overthenext
volunteerswhoareinterestedinmakingmeaningful"connections"withtheirAlmamaterandtheirstudents.Wecur
membersinourMEGAchapterandeachmonthwewillbefeaturingastudentthatROCKSonourwebsiteandinour

Staytuned,muchmoreiscome!

NOVASHRMInformation
HaveYouConsideredBecomingaCertifiedProfessional?

Whenyoubecomecertifiedyou'rebetterabletoshowthatyouknowthemostcurrentprinciplesandcorepractices
becomemoremarketablewhenyoucompetefortopHRpositions,andyouraiseyourprofessionalconfidenceamon

Morethan108,000HRprofessionalshaveearnedHRcertification.EarningthePHR,SPHR,andGPHRcredentialdemo
organizationthatyoucommittoahigherstandard.
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AsamemberofNOVASHRM,youareeligibleforareimbursementof$50forpassingthePHRexamand$75fortheS
learnmore,visittheNOVASHRMEducationPage.

NOVASHRM'sHRExcellenceReferralProgram

DidyouknowthatyoucanreceiverewardsforreferringnewmemberstoNOVASHRM?TotakeadvantageofourHR
Program,justinviteyourcolleaguesandfriendsandintroducethemtothevalueandadvantagesthatyouhavebeen
intheChapter.

Howdoesitwork?

1. Introduceacolleague/friendtoNOVASHRMbyattendinganeventorsimplytellingthemabouttheChapter.
2. Yourcolleague/friendbecomesamemberandisapprovedforaProfessionalmembership(Professional,Stude
Membership).
3. Yourcolleague/friendremainsamemberforaminimumof6months.
Whatdoyougainasyourbenefit?

Numberof
Referrals

YourBenefit

1freemonthlymeetingofyourchoice

2freemonthlymeetingsofyourchoice

2freemonthlymeetingsofyourchoice
1freeannualNOVASHRMmembership

3freemonthlymeetingsofyourchoice
1freeannualNOVASHRMmembership

Ifyouhavemetthequalificationsforthisprogram,pleasesendamessagetotheCoVPs,Membership,LarryNewma
novamembership@gmail.com,withdetailsincluding:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Yourname;
Membershipcategory;
Yearsofmembershipstatus;
Astheybecomeavailable,themeetingsyouareinterestedinattending.

DidYouKnow?YoucandownloadaconfirmationofpaidmembershipfromtheNOVASHRMwebsite

FeelfreetodownloadyourreceiptforreimbursementviatheNOVASHRMwebsite:
1. Logintoyourownaccount;
2. GotoMyAccountlinkintheupperrighthandcornerofthescreen;
3. ClickontheMyOrdersminitab;
4. Youcanprintoutyourownreceipts.

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Ihopeyouenjoyedthelatesteditionofourmonthlynewsletter.Pleasecontactmeatnewsletter@novashrm.org
comments,tosubmitanarticle,ortosponsorthenextissueoftheNOVASHRMExchange.
Sincerely,
DremaMcCoy
NewsletterEditor

NorthernVirginiaSocietyforHumanResourceManagement|www.novashrm.org

Copyright2013.AllRightsReserved.
Forwardemail

Thisemailwassenttosharifa_g@hotmail.combynovashrm.newsletter@gmail.com|
UpdateProfile/EmailAddress|RapidremovalwithSafeUnsubscribe|PrivacyPolicy.

NOVASHRM|POBox2474|Springfield|VA|22152

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